Radio receiving antenna



Feb. 26, 1935.

A. BAILEY ET A1. 1,992,282

RADIO RECEIVING ANTENNA Filed June 3, 1931 W- Wve I-ltEI/bna, Wg;

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L? L? L, I2 z2 z2 z2 z, I? L2 02 C? 61 C? C2 C2 02 C1 62 C2 Re R2 Re 122i Re R2 Rz R2 R2 all JPL' 3 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. ze, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,992,282 c RADIO RECEIVING ANTENNA tion of New York Application June 3, 1931, Serial N0. 541,880

12 Claims.

' This invention relates to radio receiving antennae and particularly to a multiplex `antenn system having for'its purpose the efficient reception of long distance radio communication.

One form of antenna which `has been found to be highly successful in practice for the directional reception `of signals, is known as the Wave antenna. This invention will be disclosed with particular reference to its use in connection with a Wave antenna or an array of wave antennae, al-

though it will be apparent that it may also be applicable to other forms of antennav arrays.

As a result of measurements to determine the effective heights of various wave antennae, there has-been found some indication that the effective height is diierent for those antennae which traverse thickly wooded areas. The present inven-` tion provides suitable absorbing structures placed near the antenna and intended to develop in a controllable way special characteristics in the antenna, some of which may be of the same kind as are developed naturally by the proximity of trees.

It is an object of this invention to provide a radio receiving antenna system which will include, in addition to a wave antenna, a plurality of antennae equally spaced along the wave antenna or capable of absorbing energy of an incident beam. It is another object to provide such a system in which the plurality of antennae equally spaced along the wave antenna are capable of absorbing very efliciently the vertical component of energy in that incident beam.

And it is a further object of this invention to provide a radio receiving antenna system which will include, in addition to one or more wave antennae, an array comprising conductors each grounded at one end, al1 of lwhich are perpendicular to the wave `antennae and insulated there--` While this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims, the inven-` tion itself, both as to its further objects and features, will be better understood from the detailed description hereinafter following, when read in connection` with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a wave antenna along which and beyond which there are a plurality of antennae each having adjustable elements of inductance, capacitance, and resistance; Fig. 2 represents another arrangement in which the an-. tennae along and beyond the Wave antenna cornprise simple conductors each of which may have inherently appreciable magnitudes of inductance,`

C capacitance, and resistance; while Fig. 3 shows two wires which may comprise the wave antenna with which maybe associated a plurality of attop type antenn.-

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is shown a simple form of wave antenna WA at each end (Cl. Z50-33) `of which there are adjustable elements of inductance L1, adjustable elements of capacitance Ci, and adjustable elements of resistance Rnas shown. Adjustments may be made in these elements so that the wave antennaWA may be terminated by its characteristic impedance. Along the line of the wave antenna WA or adjacent thereto, there may be a plurality of vertical antenn each of which is designated in the drawing by the reference character A. Each of these antennae may be connected to ground through variable elementsof inductance, capacitance, and

resistance, designated in the drawinglas L2, Czl and R2, respectively. It will` be understood that cal antennae showny and described in connectionv with Fig. 1 of the drawingdo not representthe only form of antennae which may be'employed to carry out this invention,ior other antenna forms such as the horizontal Hat-type, umbrellatype, fan-type, etc., may equally well be employed within the spirit and scope of this invention.

Fig. 2 of the drawing shows another embodiment of the invention, in which the wave antenna WA is shown terminated at each end .in

inductance, capacitance, and resistance, `all ofy which may be varied in their magnitudes so` that the wave antenna may be terminated in its characteristic impedance.` A plurality of simple conductors may be locatedalongside of or adjacent to the wave antenna WA, each of these antenn being designated in the drawing by the reference character A. It will be obvious that each of these antennae inherently` has a certain amount of inductance, capacitance, and resistance.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the array shown and described in connection with the wave anten-V na extends not only throughout the length oi the antenna but considerably beyond it. In one embodiment of the invention experimented with, the wave antenna was approximately 25 feet high and each of the antennae was held by means of a pole, so as to be approximately 28 feet high. Each antenna of the array was grounded at one end and insulated from the wave antenna at the other end; Standard radio responsive apparatusmay be coupled to each wave antenna so as and` detect incident radio signals.

Fig. 3 of the drawing shows the wave antenna WA to consist of two parallel wires. As is often to receive the case, the receiving apparatus may be located under the eastern terminal of the wave antenna. Then it becomes necessary to terminate the wave antenna at the Western terminal in a reflection transformer RT, so that the antenna conductors not only pick up the Waves but may also be employed as a transmission line to transmit the signals back to the eastern terminal.V The midpoint of the secondary Winding of the reection transformer RT is connected through the primary winding of that transformer' to ground, At the eastern terminal of the Wave antenna, another transformer ST is located, the midpoint of the primary winding oi which is connected to ground through the primary Winding of another transformer CT, which is so constructed that With its attached circuits it serves to properly terminate the Wave antenna. Undesired signals, which may build up in the conductors of the Wave antenna, may flow from West to east and through the halves of the primary Winding ST oppositely to ground. The effect of these undesired signals will not be produced in the secondary winding of the transformer -SI and in the circuit RC1 connected thereto. These undesired signals will, however, have their effects on the secondary Winding of transformer CT and Will be present in. the circuit RC2 connected thereto.

A plurality of flat-type antenn are located between the terminals of the Wave antenna, each of these antenna being. designated by the reference character A. Each antenna is connected to ground through adjustable elements of inductance and capacity. v

While this invention has been shown and described in certain particular embodiments, nierely for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that the general principles of this invention may be applied to other and Widely varied organizations Without departin from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Y What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a Wave antenna for receiving space waves and a plurality of parallel conductors located substantially in alignment with the Wave antenna and comprising an antenna array, said conductors being located at substantially equal distances apart along the length of .the Wave antenna, each conductor being grounded at one end and insula'ted'frorn the Wave antenna.

2. The combination of a wave antenna for receiving radio Waves and a plurality of vertical grounded conductors which are spaced from each other at definite intervals and extend substantiallyin alignment, along, and beyond the length of said Wave antenna.

3. The combination ci a Wave antenna which receives space Waves, said wave antenna being terminated at each end in its characteristic impedance, and a plurality of conductors located substantially in alignment with the Wave antenna and along its length, each conductor being grounded and extending vertically above the wave antenna.

e. In a radio receiving system, the combination iof a Wave antenna for receiving space Waves, said Wave antenna extending on a line bearing in the vdirection of a distant transmitting station, and an antenna. array comprisig a plurality of substantially parallel conductors extending substantially in alignment along the Wave antenna, the lower extremities of the various conductors being independently grounded, each conductor being physically separated from the other conductors of said array and from said wave antenna.

5. 'Ihe method of receiving space energy with a Wave antenna which consistsv inA intercepting energy at separate and mutually independent points equidistant from each other and located along the length or" the wave antenna and receiving the space energy which impinges upon the Wave antenna.

6. The combination of a Waveanterma which receives space waves, and a plurality of independently grounded electrical structures located substantially in alignment with the Wave antenna and adjacent to said Wave antenna and spaced from each other along its length, said structures being so positioned with respect to said -wave antenna that they produce a modication of its characteristics.

7. The method of improving the receptive characteristic of a Wave antenna upon which radio waves directly impinge, which consists in intercepting electrically some of the received energy at a plurality of isolated points, said points being equidistant from each other and located along the length of the Wave antenna.

8. The method of improving the receptive characteristic of a Wave antenna upon which radio waves directly impinge and are transmitted thereby to a receiving apparatus, which consists in intercepting electrically some ofV the radio Waves at a plurality of independent points which are equally spaced from each other along the line of the wave antenna and beyond its terminals.

. 9. The method of improving the receptive proporties of a wave antenna upon Which radio Waves directly impinge and are transmitted thereby to a receiving apparatus, which consists in intercepting the vertical component of said radio Waves along the line of the wave antenna at a plurality of pointsr equally spaced from each other, and dissipating the energy or" the vertical component so intercepted, whereby the horizontal component ci said radio Waves will be efficiently transmitted by said wave antenna.v i

l0. The method of improving the electrical characteristics of a Wave antenna which consists in absorbing in the neighborhood oi the wave antenna and along its length the vertical component of received energy having the same Vfrequency as that impressed upon the 'Wave antenna so that the horizontal component of the energy will alone be received by the Wave antenna.

1l. The method of improving the electrical characteristics of a wave antenna which consists in absorbing at mutually independent points along the length of Wave antenna the vertical cornponent of received energy having the same frequency as is impressed on the Wave antenna so that the Wave antenna will receive the horizontal component of the energy to the exclusion of the vertical component or that energy.

l2. The combination of a wave antenna which is terminated at each end in its characteristic impedance, a'plurality of conductors positioned substantially in alignment With the Wave lantenna and along its length, the conductors` extending vertically in space, one end of each conductor being grounded, and means for resonating each of the conductors at ther-frequency of the energy received by `the Wave antenna.

v AUSTIN BAILEY.

WILLIAM T. WINTRINGHAM. 

